Kafir-corn feeding and heading machine



' Nov. 3, 1925- J. E. CROWN ET AL KAFFIR CORN FEEDING AND HEADING MACHINE vFiled Dec. 10 25 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ran/1L JKEaz/u Nov. 3 1925- 9,

J. CROWN ET AL KAFFIR CORN FEEDING AND HEADING MACHINE Filed Dec. 10. 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov- 3, 1925- v J. E. CROWN ET AL KAFFIR CORN FEEDING/AND"- HEADING MACHINE Filed Dec. 10, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 7 What's:

Patented Nov. 3, 1925'.

UNITED S AT S 1,559,555 IPAT'E NT OFFICE;

JOSEPHE.'CROWN' ANDJCHN' R-Q-I-IAINING, harem, KANSAS, nssrenonsor ONE THIR To vmcgwmrnnv, ounce-A, KANSAS.

KAFIR-OORN FEEDING AND READING MACHINE.

Application filed-December 1 0, 1923. -Serial No. 679,635.

, of which thefollowingiis a complete spe'ci- This invention relates to corn feeding and heading machines and the prime object, more especially, is to produce a machine of this character for severingand; threshing the heads and'astacking the-stalks of ka-fircorn. Another-object is to provide a machine for .heads from'the stalks fed to the machine so that the headsshallfall Withinthe sphere of- "ingother disposition of them, as, for eX- :ample,loadingthemonto a Wagon for transportation to any desired point.

"A further object'islto provide a machine of this character Which-Will opera'teefliciently and possesses the requisite qualities of qsimplicity, strength and durability and can be secured'inior removed fr'omop'erative' relation atO asthreshin'g machine by unskilled 'trnclnfandrisingfrom the bars-l8? at a suit- 1 Vith these general objectsin view the: invention consists in certain novel'and'use 1 111 features of construction and combinations of :parts as hereinafter-described and 1 section.

Figure 5 is a detailside-elevationof-fea tures. not otherwise clearly disclosed.

T Referring now-.toxthe. drawings in detail, 1 where likezreference characters identify cor- :responding parts in all of the figures, 1 indi ':cates the' front portion of. a, threshing ma- -"chi'ne or separator and 25the-cyl1nder thereof,

waccess to the cylinderbeing'by Way of the "opening 3,:bridged ibya hood guard 4c. The slower part rot-the front wall of the guard is stalks upon a conveyor for stacking or makparticularly-i0 Figure/2. The skeletonframe described, is-provided Figure 4 is a=central vertical-longitudinal provided with an opening or .mouth 5, and

said month has {rearward extensions formed inthe side Walls of the hood.- A rotary cutter 6, occupying a position Within the hood and opening '3, and located by preferences-6 near the front Wall of the hood, is-mounted upon a longitudinal shaft 7 suitably journaled, andequipped With a bevel gear 8 1118Sl1l11g Wltl1 a bevel gear-Son a transverse 1 shaft 10 I 1ournaled in any suitable manners? ,andpro ecting at lts ends beyond the (side Walls ofvthe hood, at Which pointeit is equipped with grooved Wheels 11 connected by belts 12 with grooved wheels -18 -sec-ured upontheends ofthe shaft of, thecylind'er 2;":70 v attachment'to a threshing machine to cut the the connections described serving to transmit power from the j cylinder to the -rotary cutter.

"AYWhEGlQCl truck 13*.cooperateswith the customary front 'Wheels (not shown) of theethreshing machine in supporting the front end of thelatter, and also formstthe .sup-

port for the attachment, which in practice is adapted to be built on the front-end of I the threshing machine orto b'e' detachablyse cured thereto. iAs shown theframe-bars 13 form acontinuation of'corresponding bars of thethreshing machineor separator andare s mounted directly upon the v Wheeled able point for stability, are standards 14, for the support of the front portion-of the extension -15,-of the threshingmachine orsepara'tor, this extension like therbars 13 being preferably detachably secured to-and forming a continuation of the separator. For convenience ,of illustration the parts 13 and 15, appear as integral extensions of the separator, as will be noted by reference at opposite sides of its longitudinal center With stationary feed-table sections 16, in

length substantially equal to the length of kafir'e'corn when cut. The tables extend preferably from thefront end of the. thresher. or separator, Where they are notchedfto accommodate the cutting Wheel '6,--nearly ito J the rear end of the frame :15,-1and' the outer side margins of 'said ztable sections prefer-" ably curve downwardly'as at17, fora purpose which. hereinafter appears. I The table sections are also preferably provided 'ZWlth transverse:channels 18 .in their. uppei sides,

and with depending-transverse stiffening ribs 19, just outward of said channels, said ribs being rigidly secured in any suitable manner to the side bars of the portion of the framework. A pair of longitudinal shafts are journaled in the outer ends of ribs 19, and a similar pair of longitudinal shafts 21 are journaled in the inner ends of said ribs. Sprocket wheels 22 are secured on shafts 20, and corresponding sprocket wheels 23 on shafts, 21, and the pairs of sprocket wheels of each table, are connected by sprocket chains 24, for transmitting power from shafts 20 to shafts 21. The rear endsof shafts 2O areconnected by universal joints 25, with shafts 26, journaled in brackets 27, secured to the sides of the separator, and said shafts 26 are equipped at their rear ends with beveled gears 28 meshing with small beveled gears 28 on the outer ends of shaft 10, the ar-' .rangement being such that power trans- ,mitted to shaft 10 from the cylinder, is in turn transmitted to the shafts 20, and thence i when said foldable sections occupy their to shaft 21, as above stated.

The table sections 16 provided with lateral extensions 29 adapted, when not 111 'use,'to extend vertically downward to be out of the way when not in use or when the 1111Cl1l116lSSiZOTCl or being transported. The

sections 29 are provided, like sections 16;

with transverse ribs, 30, and said ribs extend througl'i notches in the curved edges 17 of section 16 and are pivoted to ribs 19 as at 31[ The foldable sections 29 like sections 16, are provided with transverse grooves in their upper sides, these grooves indicated at 32, forming a continuation of grooves 18,

horizontal operative positions. At theinner edges of sections 1.6 sprocket wheels 33 are rigidly mounted on shafts 2 1, and said sprocket wheels are connected by sprocket chains 34 with sprocket wheels 35 mounted on longitudinal shafts 36 journaled in the outer ends of ribs 30, it being noted that the upper portions of the chains travel in the channels 18 and 32 of the sections 16 and 29 respectively. The chains are connected at suitable intervals by cleats or bars 37, which feed stalks of kafir corn or the like, placed a longitudinally upon the table extensions, in-

wardly until they are brought into contact with the rotary cutter 6, whichserves to sever the heads from the stalks so that the of the cutting wheel utilize the adjacent table section 16 as a resistance point to cut the heads from the stalks, whereas on the opposite side, the upwardly-moving teeth utilize the hood for the same purpose.

T o secure the table extensions 29 in their horizontal positions, they are provided near their outer ends with depending arms 38, to which are pivotally attached braces 39, having off-set arms 40 engaging apertured lugs 41 depending from the side bars 13". The disconnection of the off-set ends from the lugs 41, permit the extensions to swing downward to vertically pendant positions, and the flexible conveyors 34, described, accommodate this adjustment.

As guides'for the proper placement of the stalks upon the tables, transverse abutment bars'42 are mounted upon the table transversely in a plane rearward of the cutting wheel, and said barsv are provided with arms 43 extending through keepers 44 equipped with set screws 45, the latter impinging up fit on the arms 43 to secure the abutment bars firmly at the desired points of adjustment.

It is necessary to adjust bars 42 to aocom lying the space between the stationary tables. At therear end and near thefront end respectively, of the hopper, are jourualed rollers 48 and 49, connected by an endless slatted conveyor 50, which forms the bottom of the hopper. A sprocket wheel'ol on the shaft of roller49, is connected by a sprocket chain 52 with a sprock et wheel 53 on a parallel shaft 54 journaled in the front end of the hopper, and secured on the other end of said shaft is a sprocket wheel 55, connected by sprocket chain 56, to a sprocket wheel 57, on the corresponding end of the shaft of the cylinder of the separator, so that power from the latter shall be transmitted'to shaft 54, and through sprocket chain 52, to the roller 49 of conveyor 50, to impartproper travel to the latter to feed the stalks dropping down upon it, in a forward direction and into an inclined elevator 58 provided with an elevating conveyor 59 for carrying up the stalks and stacking them or discharging them into a suitable vehicle (not shown). The conveyor 59 is in the form of a flexible belt provided with cross slats, and is mounted at its rear end on a drive roller 60 on shaft 54, and at its front end on a roller 61. For convenience of stora go and the like, the elevator frame is made in two sections pivoted together at 62 to permit of folding, and a forked cable 63 is secured to the elevator and to a drum 64,

journaled in standards 65 mounted on the front end of frame 15. The drum is provided at one end with a ratchet wheel 66 engaged by a gravity pawl 67 (see Figure 5) to prevent accidental unwinding of the cable and downward movement of the elevator frame, and the drum shaft is pro- Assuming that the parts are arranged as shown and that threshing cylinder is in operation, it will be seen that corn placed on either table extension or both of them, with the heads adjacent the abutment boards, will be converged inwardly and laterally against the cuttin wheel, whereby the heads will be severe and drop down through the opening 3 to the threshing cylinder. At the same time the stalks'will be discharged from the inner edges of the tables Joy the conveying means, and fall into the underlying hopper upon the conveyor bottom thereof. From this conveyor they will be passed to the inclined conveyor and discharged thereby to form astack or onto a suitable vehicle, for transportation to any desired point.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that we have produced a machine of the character described, possessing the features of advantage set forth in the statement of the object of the invention, and which is susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the principle of construction and mode of operation involved or from the spirit and scope of the'appended claims.

We claim:

1. The combination with a' machine having threshing mechanism at its front end and a hood overlying such mechanism and provided with a mouth at its front end, of a rotary cutter bridging such mouth and in shearing relation to the upper and lower edges thereof, and a pair of inwardly travelling side conveyors adjacent and spaced apart at their inner ends a distance less than the diameter and terminating at opposite sides of the axial plane of the cutter; said hood having side extensions for its mouth to permit the heads of grain carriedto opposite edges of the cutter by the conveyors, to enter the hood. 7

2. The combination with a machine having threshing mechanism at its front end and a hood overlying such mechanism and provided with a mouth at its front end, of a rotary cutter bridging such mouth and in shearing relation to the upper and lower edges thereof, a pair of inwardly traveling side conveyors adjacent and spaced apart at their inner ends a distance less'than the positions. v I 3. The combination with a threshing ma.-'

diameter and terminating at opposite sides of the axial plane 'of the cutter; said hood having side extensions for its mouth to permit the heads of grain carriedto opposite edges of the cutter by the conveyors, to enter the hood, the conveyors being jointed and their outer portions adapted to swing downward to a pendant position, and means for bracing them in their operative or elevated chine, having an extension framework at its threshing end,'and a wheel support at such end, of a hood over the threshing end providedv at its front end with a mouth, a cut-v ter operable to sever grain stalks extending longitudinally of the machine, and in shearing relation to the latter and the hood, laterally travelling conveyors to carry headed grain to opposite side edges of the cutter, the hood having mouth extensions to permit the headed ends of the grain to enter and lie within the hood as the stalks are cut when brought against the cutter, a longitudinal hopper underlying, the inner end of the conveyors for catching the stalks after the beheading thereof and their discharge from the inner ends of the conveyors, a

,forwardly-traveling conveyor at the bottom of the hopper, and a forwardly-traveling upwardly-inclined elevator to receive the stalks fromrthe last-named conveyor for stacking purposes.

t The combination with a machine having threshing 'mechanism at its front end and a hood overlying such mechanism and provided with'amouth at its front end, of a rotary cutter bridging such mouth and in shearing relation to the upper and lower edges thereof, a pair of substantially horizontal tables in a plane intersecting that of the cutter and spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of the cutter and extending longitudinally from a plane rearward of that of the cutter toa plane forward thereof a distance equal to the length of maximum growth grain to be headed, said tables comprising inner stationary sections, and outer sections hinged to-the inner sections, demountable braces for holding the outer sections elevated to operative position, transverse grain-head abutment bars on the tables at opposite sides of said hood, and endless flexible conveyors on the tables and foldable with the outer sections thereof and disposed forward of the plane of action of the cutter to feed headed grain sidewise on the tables to opposite edges of the cutter.

In witness whereof we hereunto atfix our signatures.

JOSEPH E. CROWN. JOHN R. HAINING. 

